Freestanding display stand



Fired Jam 1o, 196s M. Boss FREESTANDING D'I SPLAY STAND 2 Sheets-heet 1TTORNEY Dec. 16, 1969 M. Boss (484,810

A. FREESTAND'ING DISPLAY STAND l Filed Jan. 10, 1968 2 sheetsheat 2INVENTOR. MARC BOSS BY'V TTORNE Y United States Patent O 3,484,810FREESTANDIN G DISPLAY STAND Marc Boss, 21 Oak Hill Lane, Portola Valley,Calif. 94025 Filed Jan. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 696,933 Int. Cl. A47f 5/10,lA4711 57/06 ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A foldable, freestanding supportmeans for shelving having a pair of vertical standards interconnected bya pair of criss-cross members whereby the vertical standards may belaterally separated any distance within certain limits to accommodatedifferent widths of shelving or to lit into spaces of varyingwidths, andhaving swivelable feet whereby the interconnected standards may be madeto freestand. The shelving is readily adjustable along the verticalextent of the standard by removable shelf brackets to afford differentspaces between shelves or to accommodate shelves at varying distancesfrom the floor level. The freestanding support means may be quickly andeasily folded with the shelves and shelf brackets removed to facilitatestorage, packing and shipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to freestanding display stands and, more particularly, to such astand which has detachable shelving and shelf brackets and afreestanding shelf bracket support which is adjustable for use andfoldable for storage.

Description of the prior art Numerous types of display stands are foundin the prior art, some freestanding, some having detachable shelves,some being adjustable, and some being foldable. However, display standswhich are freestanding, adjustable in standard separation, and shelfheight, and readily foldable for convenient storage or shipment are notfound in the prior art.

Display stands which are freestanding for use and foldable for storageare particularly important when display stands `are to be rented and foruse in improvised or temporary display rooms such as hotel rooms. Forsuch usage, it becomes important that the display stand be freestandingsince attachment to the walls would not ordinarily be permissible.Further, it becomes important for the renter of the display shelves thatthe same be foldable for convenient storage and transportation sincestorage space is an important factor in the cost of operating a displaystand rental business. i

The criteria mentioned `above are also important where display standsare owned by the exhibitor, and are carried throughout the country foruse. The freestanding feature will allow use of the display stand uponany platform without regard to wall or ceiling attachment, and thefolding feature allows convenient knock-down and transportation.Further, the adjustable shelving feature allows shelves to be placed atany convenient height and any convenient separation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of the invention toprovide an improved freestanding display stand which is economical,sturdy and versatile.

It is another object of the invention to provide a display stand havingvertical standards which are interconnected by a foldable framestructure to make the standards laterally adjustable with respect to oneanother.

3,484,810 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 It is a further object of the inventionto provide a foot structure for the freestanding display stand that isswivelable from a compact or folded position to a freestanding position.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a display standwith open and vertically adjustable shelving that is compact andfoldable.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided afreestanding, foldable display stand for supporting detachable shelfbrackets that can be secured at varying points along the verticaluprights of the display stand supports for supporting shelves. Thevertical uprights are provided with a swivelable foot structure at theend portions thereof to permit freestanding, and, further, areinterconnected by a foldable criss-cross structure that not onlyprovides lateral support but allows the ready adjustment of standardseparation.

It is still a further object of the present invention to allow theshelves to be placed on the brackets either to lie llat or to standinclined for slant display purposes.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains asthe ensuing description proceeds.

The features of novelty that are considered character istie of thisinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theorganization and method of operation of the invention itself will bestbe understood from the following description when read in connectionwith the accompanying drawing in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thefreestanding display stand of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational rear view of the vertical support structure ofthe stand of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an elevational end view of the display stand of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view, partly in cross section, of theshelf bracket and the shelf of the display stand of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is made to FIG. 1wherein the freestanding display stand of this invention is designatedgenerally by the reference character 20. Display stand 20 is providedwith a pair of vertical standards (uprights) 21A and 21B, having footmembers 22A and 22B respectively swivelably attached thereto by pivotpin members 23A and 23B. Foot members 22A and 22B extend forwardly (asviewed in FIG. 1) when stand 20 is in position for display purposes.Immediately to the rear of foot members 22A and 22B, and detachablysecured thereto, are auxiliary foot members 25A and 25B, best seen inFIGS. l and 3, and to be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Vertical standards 21A and 21B are each provided with a plurality ofopenings 26 in the form of a row along the forward facing verticalextent for detachably receiving the shelf support brackets 27, and withelongated slots'28A and 28B along the rearward facing vertical extentfor slidingly receiving the end attachment members 29A and 29B ofcriss-cross means 30 which forms a horizontally extensible connectionmeans.

Criss-cross means 30 comprises two cross bars 31 and 32 which arepivotally interconnected by a pivot pin 33. In addition, one end portionof cross bars 31 and 32 is each pivotally connected to verticalstandards 21A and 21B by pivot pins 34A and 34B, and the other endportion of bars 31 and 32 is each connected to end attachment members29A and 29B which are slidingly disposed in slots 28A and 28B. Connectedin this manner, it is seen that the lateral standard separation isadjustable between a fully closed and a fully open position, anintermediate position being shown in dashed outline in FIG .2.

For locating and attaching shelves 36 to display stand 20, it isnecessary to rst detachably secure shelf support brackets 27 to eachstandard as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Shelf support brackets 27 aremade from heavy wire and comprise an upper portion 27A and a lowerportion 27B. The diameter of the wire is such that it will fit intoopenings 26 in the front facing portion of the standards much like a pegboard attachment. The retained end portion of the upper portion 27A isturned upwardly aproximately 90 as shown best in FIG. 4 for insertionthrough opening 26 and for resting on the rearward facing verticalextent of the standard. Welded to the bottom of lower portion 27A andnear the retained end portion is a cross member 37 that is adapted torest against the forward facing vertical extent of standard 21. Theopposite end of upper portion 27A, also referred to as the free end, is'turned upwardly approximately 90 to engage a cross bar 36A located onthe underside of shelf 36. The length of upper portion 36A is carefullyselected in accordance with the total shelf width so that the distancebetween the rearwardly facing surface of the free end bend is a selecteddistance from the forwardly facing extent of the standard. This distanceis also referred to as the accommodation length.

Lower portion 27B of bracket 27 is secured, as by welding at portion27C, to the free end of portion 27A, and the extremity of the retainedend portion of lower portion 27B is bent upwardly for resting againstthe forward facing extent of the standard, and then outwardly forinsertion into one of openings 26 to firmly secure the bracket to thevertical standards.

When a pair of shelf support brackets 27 are connected to verticalstandards 21A and 21B in the manner illustrated, shelf 36 may be placedhorizontally to rest on upper portion 27A where it is secured againstdisplacement away from the standards by the 90 bend in the free end ofupper portion 27A which engages a transverse member 36A. Additionalshelves 36 may be located on additional vertical support bracket 21. Avertically extending retaining wall 36B is formed at the rear edge ofthe shelf to prevent articles from dropping behind the stand.

Shelves 36 and shelf support brackets 27 are constructed in such amanner that they may be placed in an inclined position by merely turningthe shelf so that the retaining edge 36B normally forming the rear edgeof shelf 36 now rests on the bend portion of the free end of upperportion 27A, and the edge normally forming the front edge of the shelfrests against the forward facing extent of the vertical standards at apoint which is above where upper portion 27A is attached to standard 21.

It is now readily seen that the accommodation length of upper portion27A determines the degree of shelf inclination, and the accommodationlength is selected to provide a given shelf inclination. Once the properaccommodation length has been selected, transverse bar 36A is positionedsuch that the distance from the forward facing surface of bar 36A to therearwardly facing surface of edge 36B is equal to the accommodationlength f the upper portion. In this manner the free end bend in upperportion 27A retains the shelf in the horizontal and the inclinedposition.

The foot members 22A and 22B, which are pivotally secured to the lowerend of vertical standards 21A and 21B, may be positioned as shown inFIGS. l and 3, or may be pivoted out of the way as shown in dotteddashedlines of FIG. 3 to facilitate storage or shipment of display stand 20.The rear support (auxiliary foot) members 25A and 25B are alsoconstructed of wire and are removably insertable into opening pairs 28Aand 28B at the lower portion thereof to provide additional stabilitywhen the display stand 20 is in a freestanding condition. These membersare also fastened in the peg board style. -Rear support members 25A and25B may easily be removed from standards 21A and 21B by withdrawing themfrom the openings 28A and 28B respectively.

To collapse display stand 20, after the shelves and shelf supports havebeen removed, it is only necessary to move standards 21A and 21B towardsone another, remove rear support members 25A and 25B and to rotate footmembers 22A and 22B into the folded position shown in FIG. 3. Whensetting up display stand 20,

standards 21A and 21B are separated as much as con-y sistent withavailable space, foot members 22A and 22B are rotated in the normalposition, and rear support members 25A and 25B are inserted. Thereafter,shelf support members 27 are inserted into openings 26'at a height whichis commensurable with the desired shelf height.

Thus, a freestanding, collapsible display stand has been describedwherein the shelves may be placed at vvarious locations along thevertical standards in either a horizontal or inclined position. Further,foot members are provided on the standards which can be swiveled orpivoted into a position to allow the standards to freestand. Further,the standard separation may be varied to allow accommodation inavailable display space, and the display stand may be readily set up fordisplay purposes or it may be readily folded for storage or shipment.

It should be noted that while the display stand has been described as apreferred embodiment, details of the display stand could well bemodified from that specifically shown and described, and, accordingly,the foregoing description of one embodiment of the invention for oneparticular purpose is not to be construed in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A freestanding display stand, comprising:

a plurality of vertical standards;

horizontally extensible connection means interconnecting each pair ofadjacent standards whereby said standards are movable between a foldedposition and an extended position, said connection means including apair of cross members pivotally interconnected to one another at theircenter portions, one end of each cross bar being pivotally connected toone of said pair of adjacent standards and the other end of each crossbar being pivotally and longitudinally slidably connected to theopposite one of said pair of adjacent standards;

shelf support brackets removably and adjustably mountable on each ofsaid standards;

shelves supportable upon said brackets, said shelves and bracketsincluding means to secure said shelves to said brackets againstdislodgement in a direction perpendicular to the plane defined by saidplurality of standards; and

foot means connected to said standard to freestandingly support thesame, said foot means including a first foot member which is rotatablyconnected to the lower portion of each standard and is rotatable betweena folded position in which said foot member extends along said standardand an operating position in which said foot member extends forwardly ofsaid standard, and a second foot member which is removably connected toeach standard to extend at an angle relative thereto and rearwardly ofsaid standard. t 2. A freestanding display stand in accordance withclaim 1 in which said standards have openings for engaging said shelfsupport brackets and in which each shelf support bracket comprises anupper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being disposedsubstantially horizontally and having an upwardly extending rear edgefor passing through an opening in said standard and for engaging therearward facing surface of said standard and an upwardly extending frontedge for engaging said shelf, said lower portion being disposed at aninclination with respect to said upper portion and having one end4connected to said upper portion proximate the front edge thereof, andhaving the other end first bend upwardly to extend vertically and toengage the forward facing surface of said standard and then bendrearwardly and horizontally to engage an opening in said standard.

3. A freestanding display stand in accordance with claim 2 in which across member is connected to said upper portion and is disposed toengage the forward facing surface of said standard just below said upperportion to secure said upper portion against rearward displacement.

4. A freestanding display stand in accordance'with claim 2 in which saidupwardly extending front edge is located a selected distance from theforwardly facing extent of said standards to engage one edge of saidshelf for supporting said shelf in an inclined position of apredetermined degree of inclination, said shelves having air upwardlyextending edge which forms the rear edge of the shelves when disposed ina horizontal position and the front edge of the shelves when disposed inan inclined position.

5. A freestanding display stand in accordance with claim 4 in which themeans to secure said shelves against dislodgement from said bracketscomprises a means forming a part of said shelves for engaging saidupwardly extending edge of said upper portion.

6. A freestanding display stand, comprising:

a plurality of vertical standards;

horizontally extensible connection means interconnecting each pair ofadjacent standards whereby said standards are movable between a foldedposition and extended position, said connection means including a pairof cross members pivotally interconnected to one another at their centerportions, one end of each cross bar being pivotally connected to one ofsaid pair of adjacent standards and the other end of each cross barbeing pivotally and longitudinally slid ably connected to the oppositeone of said pair of adjacent standards;

shelf support brackets removably and adjustably mountable on each ofsaid standards;

shelves supportable upon said brackets, said shelves and bracketsincluding means to secure said shelves to said brackets againstdislodgement in a direction perpendicular to the plane defined by saidplurality of standards; and

foot means swivelably connected to the lower portion of each standardand movable between a folded position in which said foot member extendsalong said standard and an operating position in which said foot memberextends at a predetermined angle to and forwardly of said standard, saidfoot member including an integral stop means for engaging said standardso that said foot member must be rotated at least from its foldedposition before engaging said standard in supporting relationship as itassumes said operating position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 674,271 5/1901 Knapp 211--1792,891,680 6/1959 MacAleese 108-28 X 2,906,486 9/1959 Bellon et al 108-28X 2,912,119 11/1959 Robinson 108-28 2,919,034 12/1959 Levy 108-12,971,657 2/1961 Zadek 108--28 X 3,018,101 1/1962 Mir et al 248-346 X3,167,037 1/1965 Madson 108-28 X JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner U.S.Cl. XR.

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